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Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Makes Stunning Rescue of Castaways on a Makeshift Raft

THEIR SHIP CAME IN

The Enchantment of the Seas ship diverted its original course to avoid tropical storms when it made the lucky discovery.

A Royal Caribbean's cruise ship ?Enchantment of the Seas? is seen docked in Cozumel, Mexico May 27, 2009. The ship, coming from Key West, USA and carrying approximately 2300 passengers, is the first one to arrive in the area since the cruise operator changed the itinerary last month to contend with an outbreak of the H1N1 flu virus, formerly known as swine flu, in Mexico.  (MEXICO BUSINESS POLITICS HEALTH)
Gerardo Garcia/REUTERS/Gerardo Garcia

A Royal Caribbean cruise ship happened to be at the right place at the right time Sunday evening when it encountered a group of castaways. Come Cruise With Me reported that the Enchantment of the Seas ship was en route from Tampa, Florida to Costa Maya, Mexico, when it diverted from its original course to avoid Hurricane Humberto and Tropical Storm Imelda, leading to the discovery of 12 people aboard a makeshift raft. According to reports, the castaways, who were floating in the Caribbean Sea, were saved just as the raft “was starting to fall apart.” Upon discovering the individuals who were “in distress at sea,” the cruise ship investigated the situation and rendered aid, bringing the individuals onto the vessel and gave them drinking water. It is not known who the castaways are or how they came to be in their situation. Passengers onboard recorded the incident and shared the video on social media. This is not the first time a Royal Caribbean cruise has saved lives; CNN reported in February that the Brilliance of the Seas cruise ship rescued 11 individuals floating on a small boat in the Gulf of Mexico. The Daily Beast has contacted Royal Caribbean for comment.

Posted by Jeffrey Walker on Sunday, September 28, 2025
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